Cash-register.



F Patented Aug. I9, I902.

\H. BICKFORD.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application filed Aug. 17, 1595.

2 Shee tsSh-eet l.

(N0 Modal.)

I47 MARJ? INVENTOR.

BY I I A TTOR/Vg;

WITNESSES.-

rm: NORRIS mans 6'0. mowmnq, WASNINGYON. n. c.

No. 707,380. Patented Aug. l9, I902;

F. H. BICKFORD.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application filed Aug. 17', 1898.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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I I ATTORNE.

of mixed keys.

fourth bank are designated by letters of the UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

FRANK H. BICKFORD, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TONATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CASH-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 707,380, dated August19, 1902. Application filed August 17, 1898. Serial No, 688,801. (Nomodel.)

5 of Ohio, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements inCash-Registers,of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to improvements in IO cash-registers, and hasmore particularrelation to improvements in the class of machine patentedto me August 31, 1897, and numbered 589,114, and also'tothat covered bythe patent to Cleal and Reinhard, No.

1 580,378, April 13, 1897.

In the type of machine above referred to and as illustrated in thedrawings the keys are arranged in banks, three of the banks beingamount-keys, the fourth being a bank The upper six keys of the alphabetand in practice may be appropriated to different clerks or differentdepartmentsin a store and are referred to and commonly known asdepartment-keys.

The three lower keys are so-called special keys and are employed todistinguish charge sales, money received on account, and money paid outfrom the cash 0 sales, the latter being recorded upon theamountkeys. Inpractical operation, for example, the department-keys would be assignedto the several clerks operating the machine,and if clerk .A makes a salehe presses 5 the key designated A and the proper amount-keys and turnsthe operating-crank. If moneyis paid in on account, he presses first theA key, then the key designated Rd. A, (signifying received on account,)also in the fourth bank, and the proper amount-keys.

practical to simultaneously use two keys in the same bank. I

The object of my present invention is to provide means whereby thedepartment-keys and special keys may be located in the same bank withseparate detents, the, so that they will operate wholly independent ofeach other, or the department-keysmay be omitted and the special keysplaced in the same bank With and operate independently of amount-keys,or the fourth bank may be composed of department-keys and amount keysany such modification being comprehended-by my invention.

Another feature relates to an improved means for releasing the keyspressed without turning the handle. In other words, if by mistake theoperator presses the wrong keys the improved releasing means will enablehim to correct the error.

In the appended drawings, forming part of thisspecification, Figure 1represents an end elevation, partly in section, of the devices embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of one of the checks printedby my said improved devices. Fig. 3 represents a perspective View of amachine containing my said improvements; and Fig. 4 is a detailperspective View of the detent-plate which operates in connection withthe fourth bank of the register, showing the slot through which thespecial keys pass.

As a great many of the parts illustrated in connection with my presentinvention are fully described in the before-mentioned patents, attentionis directed to the same for such detail description.

In the said drawings, 1 represents the frame of the machine; 2, theamount-keys; 3, the special initial or department keys 4, the specialkeys, and 5 the key-release lever. The keys 3, which represent in thepresent instance the clerks initial keys, operate in connection with thedetent-frame 6 in the usual manner; but the special keys 4; whenoperated project through an elongated slot 4;, formed in thedetent-frame 6, so that they do not become locked to said frame, butoperate altogether free of the same. The shank or stem of each of thesaid keys elis provided with a laterally-projecting pin 7, which extendsthrough one of a series of slots 8, formed in the main frame, so as tobe capable of engagement with the curved edge of a pivoted segmentalplate 9. This plate is pivoted to the frame at 9 and is formed with arigid segmental rack 10, which is normally held in a depressed positionby a coil-spring 11, which connects it with the frame. This segmentalrack meshes with a gear 12, fast on a sleeve 13 and provided with atoothed stop-segment 14, which is arranged to be engaged by a detent 15,also pivoted upon the main frame at 15. The said detent is normally heldout of engagement with the stop-segment 14 by a coil-spring 16 and isarranged to be forced into engagementtherewith bya cam 17,mount ed uponthe revolution-shaft 18 of the machine.

It will be seen from the above that when the special keys 4 are operatedthey will respectively move the segment 9 difierent distances, and thusmove the segment 10 and sleeve 13 correspondingly, so that theprinting-segment 19, (shown in broken lines in Fig. 1,) attached to saidsleeve, will be adjusted to the proper position to print the designationof the special key operated. As thedetent 6 does'not lock the keys 4when the latter are pressed inward, means must be provided for securingthem in this position,and such means I provide in three locking-bars 20,one for each key. Each of these bars is pivotally connected at one endto its respective pin 7 and formed at its opposite end with a nose 21.When one of said bars is operated, upon its key being pressed inward thenose 21 passes under a spring-pressed hook-pawl 22, mounted on theframe, and is caught and held by the same until said pawl is againraised. This raising of the pawl is accomplished either by another oneof the keys 4 being operated or by a release cam-bar 23, which ismovably supported in contact with a pin 24:,mounted on the pawl, and isarranged to be moved longitudinally to raise said pin by a crank-disk25, to which it is pivotally connected. This disk is mounted upon andoperated by a transverse rock-shaft 26, which in turn carries thereleasing-lever 5 and a plurality of radially-extending release-pins 27,so arranged as to contact with pins 28, mounted on the usuallocking-bars 29 of the locking detents for the respective banks, whichlatter are described in the said Gleal and Reinhard patent. When thelever 5 is depressed and the shaft 26 thereby rocked, the pins 27contact with the pins 28, and thus force all of the bars 29 forward torelease the detent-frames and allow the keys to return to their normalpositions. By means of this improved release should any key or keys bedepressed through mistake this error may be instantly corrected and allthe keys re turned to their normal positions. In order to preventfraudulent operation of the machine, such as the release of the keysbefore the operating-crank has made a complete revolution, I form thelever 5 with a lug 30 and provide said lug withalaterally-projectingstud 31, which projects into the lower slotted end of a bell-cranklocking-lever 32, pivoted upon the main frame. The upper end of saidlever is formed with a nose 33, which is adapted to pass into a notch34, formed in a disk 35, when the lever 5 is operated. The said disk 35is mounted upon the shaft of the driving-crank 40, so that after therevolution of said shaft is once commenced the notch will pass out ofalinement with nose 33, and thus prevent the operation of the bell-cranklever and the lever 5, connected thereto, until the disk 35 returns tonormal position. The said bell-crank lever is normally held with itsnose 33 clear of the wheel 35 by a coil-spring 36, connecting it withthe main frame. As it is necessary to release the keys 4 at the end ofeach operation of the machine independently of the action of therelease-lever 5, I provide the main rock-shaft 37 with a cam 38, whichlatter is adapted to contact with the pin 24, and thus raise the pawl 22to release the bars 20. Should a mistake be made in depressing the keys,the same may be corrected before the operatinghandle has been turned byreleasing the keys through the medium of the releasing-lever 5; butafter the movement of the operatinghandle has once commenced thereleasinglever becomes locked and the key cannot be released except bycompleting the operation of the machine, so that the regular releasethrough the cam 38 and pin 24 Will take place.

In machines of the type shown and heretofore in use where the specialkeys and department or initial keys were located in the same bank it waspossible to operate only one of them in connection with the amount-keys,for the reason that when, for instance, a department-key was pressed itlocked all the other keys in that bank. With my present improvement,however, when one of the department-keys is pressed it locks only theother department-keys. One of the special keys may be subsequentlyoperated,and when so operated it locks the remaining special keys-fromoperation until after the crank has been turned.

I do not wish to limit myself to the application of my invention toclerks initials and special keys, as the same can be employed with equalfacility in any bank of keys in which it would be desirable to providefor operating more than one key at the same time.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of ,keys, oflocking devices for said keys, a release for said locking devices andmeans connecting said release with the operating parts of the machinefor preventing its operation except when the mechanism is in normalposition.

2. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, a lockingdevice for said keys, a driving mechanism,means for releasing saidlocking device independently of said driving mechanism and a leverarranged tocooperate with the driving mechanism to lock the releasingmeans except when the machine is in normal position.

3. In a cash-register the combination with aseriesofkeys,ofindependentlongitudinallymovable locking-bars pivotedrespectively to said keys and each formed with a hook, and a singlelocking-pawl adapted to be moved by each of said hooks when the sameengages therewith to release any previously-operated key.

l. In a cash-register the combination with a series of keys and adriving mechanism, of a series of movable locking-bars pivotedrespectively to said keys, a single pawl arranged to be moved by each ofsaid bars when it engages therewith and means for operating said pawl todisengage it from said bars when the machine is operated.

5. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, and adriving mechanism, of locking-bars connected respectively to a portionof said keys, a detent arranged to lock said bars, means for releasingsaid detent and devices for raising said detent independently of theoperation of the machine.

6. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, of adetent having projections with which a part of said keys engage whenoperated and aredu'ced portion through which the remainder of the keysproject when operated, independent detents for these latter keys, and anoperating mechanism for operating all of the detents to release thekeys.

7. In a cash-register the combination with a series of keys, ofindependently-movable actuating locking-bars pivoted to said keys, and asingle retaining-pawl to which said bars become latched and adapted tobe moved by each of the same when it engages therewith to release anypreviously-latched bar.

8. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, of alocking device for said keys, a release for said locking device, anoperating-lever for said release, and a controlling-lever connected tothe operating-lever and engaging the operating parts of the machine forpreventing any movement of said operating-lever except when themechanism is in normal position.

9. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, of lockingdevices for said keys, means for releasing said devices upon theoperation of the machine, independent means for releasing said devicesupon the operation of the machine, independent release means for saidlatter locking devices, and devices for preventing the operation of thelatter release means except when the machine is in normal position.

10. In a cash-register, the combination with a series of keys, oflocking devices for said keys, means for releasing said devices at will,a lever controlled by said means, and a notched wheel connected to themovable parts of the machine and cooperating with said leverforpreventing the operation of the release devices except when the registermechanism is in normal position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK H. BIOKFORD. Witnesses:

ALVAN MACAULEY, IRA BERKSTRESSER.

